1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a battery pack and, more particularly, to a battery pack for outputting a battery residual capacity to the outside, and a processing method therefor and a program for causing a computer to execute the method.
2. Background Art
A battery pack is used for feeding an electric power to an electronic device such as a video camera. This battery pack is provided with a charging battery (or a secondary battery) such as a lithium ion cell, a nickel-cadmium cell or a nickel-hydrogen cell, and is repeatedly utilized by charging it. This battery pack is so realized as has a function to output a battery residual capacity (or an accumulated discharge current residue) or the like.
For example, there has been proposed (as referred to JP-A-9-297166 (FIG. 1) (Patent Document 1), for example) a technique, in which a battery residual capacity, a current or a voltage in the battery pack is outputted to an electronic device so that the residual time period of the battery is accordingly calculated on the side of the electronic device. For calculating the residual time period of the battery on the side of the electronic device, there are demanded parameters, which depend upon a battery cell and which are set at the time of shipping the battery pack. The electronic device is enabled to calculate the residual time period of the battery at the unit of minute by receiving those parameters.
It is known that the battery pack has its battery capacity reduced due to deterioration so that its available time period is shortened. As the factors for this deterioration of the battery, there can be enumerated the cycle deterioration due to the repetitions of charging/discharging operations and the influences of the temperature around the battery. In the related art, therefore, there has been proposed (as referred to JP-A-2005-147815 (FIG. 1) (Patent Document 2), for example) a technique, in which the battery residual capacity is corrected considering the cycle deterioration of the battery pack and the temperature at the time of using the battery, so that the battery residual capacity corrected is outputted from the battery pack to the electronic device.